Qatar, one of the six Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries has a fascinating history that has seen it rising from a
nation dependent on fishing and pearl hunting to the status of an economic giant
with the second highest per capita GDP in the world after Liechtenstein, and
sizeable oil and natural gas reserves.

The peninsular land mass of Qatar on
the Persian Gulf coast of Arabia has supported human sustenance for centuries,
yet its arid climate afforded little economic interest to the host of nations
that came into contact with this land. Even the British in their quest for
colonial supremacy regarded Qatar as a passing vantage point en route to their
larger military and economic expeditions. It wasn't until the early twentieth
century - when oil and other hydrocarbons were discovered - that the British got
a reason to get economically interested in this mass of land.

Those were the times when the Al
Khalifas of Bahrain ruled the northern peninsular side of Qatar. Atrocities
committed by Al Khalifas sowed seeds of resentment in the hearts of Qataris. In
1867, Al Khalifas' naval attack to punish the Qatari rebels took a historic turn
when the British declared this Bahrain act in contravention to the Anglo Bahrain
Treaty and forced Al Khalifas to negotiate a political settlement with Qatar.
Muhammad Bin Thani, a Doha resident and entrepreneur was chosen by the Qataris
as their representative. This later on resulted in Al Thanis becoming a
politically significant segment of Qatari society. These developments gave
Qataris a sense of political selfhood and the British response to Bahrain
aggression culminated in Qatar becoming a distinct and separate entity from
Bahrain.

December 18, 1878, when Qatar found the
status of an independent state, is celebrated as Qatar's national day. The
official status of a British protectorate was, however, not conferred on Qatar
until 1916.

In 1968, the British announced its
political disengagement from the Persian Gulf within a period of three years.
Qatar joined a coalition of seven other Trucial states in a federation to
prepare for the forthcoming independence but soon parted its way from the
federation after developing some disputes. Eventually, Qatar got the status of
an independent sovereign nation on September 03, 1971. The Al Thani Khalifa who
ruled the country from 1972 till 1995 did little good for the country's economy
as he kept siphoning off petroleum revenues to the western banks. It was his
son, the present Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani who, after peacefully
dethroning his father in 1995, took the economic destiny of Qatar in his hands
and transformed this oil and gas rich country into a world socioeconomic model.
The sociopolitical reforms including the endorsement of voting right for women,
drafting of a constitution, launch of Aljazeera news channel etc. show the
vision of a true leader in command of the affairs of his nation.

Qatar is a moderately liberal country
with its leadership focus on accelerated modernization and controlled
liberalization. The laws are a well thought out mix of civil and religious
codes, with Sharia retaining its central place. To an observer, Qatar may not be
as strict as Saudi Arabia and not as liberal as Dubai. The population which has
now grown from 22,000 in 1908 to 1,309,000 in 2009 mainly consists of
expatriates who have migrated from South Asian and non-oil Arabian countries.
The ethnic Arab population is in minority. Ninety eight percent of the total
population is Sunni and follows Hunbali Fiqah. Qatar's social and political
standing among the world communities is evident from the rankings assigned to it
by the various global surveys.

QATAR'S RANKS IN VARIOUS GLOBAL SURVEYS

ORGANIZATION

SURVEY

RANKING

Institute for Economic & Peace

Global Peace Index

16 out of 144

United Nations Development
Program

Human Development Index

33 out of 182

Transparency International

Corruption Perceptions Index

22 out of 180

World Economic Forum

Global Competitiveness Report

22 out of 133

Like any forward looking nation, Qatar
has education as the focal point of its national policy design.
Government-provided education from KG through high school level forms the
cornerstone of the government educational programs. All citizens are required to
attend this government sponsored basic education program. Besides Qatar
University, founded in 1972, there are eight more universities and 567 public
and private sector schools to cater to the demand for education in the country.
In November 2007, Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani formed Supreme Educational
Council entrusting to it the responsibility of planning, organizing, directing
and controlling the educational program systems for all citizens of Qatar.

The establishment of Qatar Science and
Technological Park in Education City in 2004 became yet another educational
landmark. This Park serves as a linkage between the higher educational
institutions and the industry providing technological and financial support to
the entrepreneurial ventures.

In 2009, Qatar Foundation launched an
innovative educational program WISE - World International Summit for Education.
The program hosted the world opinion leaders, decision makers, social icons and
educational experts to an interface that generated discussion on the present day
social and educational issues. Qatar Foundation is the frontline higher
education provider to the local as well as regional students. The founder Emir
Hamad Bin Khalifa and his second wife Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned
take keen interest in the affairs of the Foundation. Her Highness chairs the
Qatar Foundation besides sitting on the board of Qatar Supreme Educational
Council. She is believed to spearhead the educational offensive. Qatar has
resorted to in the recent years. The Qatar Foundation spells out its mission in
the following words:

"Qatar Foundation is using innovative
strategies and programs focusing on capacity building and character development
at Education City. This unique form of education involves a select few
institutions known for the quality of their programs."

The Education City boasts of having the
campuses of the following six international universities: Weill Cornell Medical
College in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Virginia, Commonwealth
University in Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University
School of Foreign Service, and Northwestern University in Qatar.